The Program

ABOUT US

The White Oak High School Band program resides in the military town of Jacksonville, North Carolina, where it is under the guidance of director, Perry Ditch, and associate director Kevin Day. Our program consists of a diverse population of students who participate in a wide variety of musical activities throughout the year. The goal of our program is to provide students with a well-rounded music education, which fosters the development of professional musicianship through individual and group performance, in combination with educational opportunities that offer students the ability to travel, develop leadership skills, collaborate mutually, provide constructive feedback, experiment with technology, and communicate globally.

The White Oak High School Band program is particularly proud of its service to the school, local, and state communities. Throughout each year, the program presents numerous concert and marching band performances. Within the community, the Marching Vikings are visible at all home and a majority of away football games, as well as many parades that include the Jacksonville Veterans Day Parade and the Jacksonville, Maysville, and Richlands Christmas Parades. Outside of the community, the Marching Vikings can be seen at several marching band competitions that occur across our state as well. As for our concert ensembles, these groups frequently offer concert performances for the school and community that consist of a diverse repertoire of music. These ensembles are also annual participants in the North Carolina Bandmasters Association Eastern District High School Music Performance Adjudication.

When it comes to community involvement, our program’s service is not only found in the form of music. Each year our program’s members recognize that some are less fortunate than others by Adopting-A-Family for Christmas and providing them with food and gifts to make their holiday more joyful and memorable.

Since its establishment in 1970, our program has distinguished itself as one of the finest programs in eastern North Carolina. Annually, as a result of our hard work and dedication, our program and its members are recognized with several awards and honors. These include superior ratings on our performances, participation in national events such as the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, DC, performances at Disney World, and the placement of students in the Eastern All-District Band, Eastern Region Jazz Band, North Carolina All-State Band, and North Carolina Governor’s School. Our program attributes much of our achievement and growth to our motto below, which is something that we try to instill in all our members and staff, in order to allow them to resonate it in others.